A Joining of Hands
by Zachere
Summary: The posse in Time Compression. I still like the premise of this. I wish I could edit it, though. The formatting is essential and FFN no longer supports a spacing character.
1. She was cast into darkness,

  
She ran. Forget bravery, forget brotherhood, forget all that. She'd failed to bring him back   
(_it's been fun_)   
and now everyone was going to die. It didn't really matter what she did now, but she ran, boots whispering lightly along the smooth crystalline floor of the Lunatic Pandora.   
She could hear Raijin behind her, his boots making little more sound than hers did. She didn't know whether he was chasing her or simply running along with her. No matter, he couldn't stop what was comingany more than she could. Two possibilities, a horrible death in Time Compression or a death of her own choosing. She would choose if she got the chance. But to get that chance she had to run faster.   
She skidded down staircases, careened off walls, and pelted down straight hallways, Raijin no more than a few steps behind her. Blood pounded in her ears, and they made their way quickly down to the lower levels.   
Finally they were close to a hatch. Raijin was at her side now, and she was glad he hadn't been chasing her- she wanted him with her. They ran together at breakneck speed toward the hatch. A Galbadian soldier stood limply beside it and gaped at the two figures racing up to them before Raijin screamed, "_Open_ it!"   
He moved quickly enough then, swinging the wide door out and then they ran straight out the hatch and into the sky, never mind that it was a hundred feet above the earth, never mind that because Time Compression would surely be starting pretty soon here and if they missed it because they were dead they could count themselves lucky.   
She never hit the ground. The world winked out, she was cast into darkness. _Time Compression_, she thought with weary terror. _You should have tried to run faster, because you're not dead and this is going to be bad. Prepare to scream, Fujin._   
She waited, all senses alert for anything at all, but there was nothing. She was standing, right? She couldn't tell. It was _dark_, not the absence of light in this place but the antithesis of light, hungry, and she felt that it was scouring her skin, searching for light, trying to devour her and she moaned   
(_not me you want, it's not me, i'm dark, leave me alone_)   
into the silence and a chorus of whispers   
(_yes, make that lovely sound_)   
(_is she frightened?_)   
(_yes, she's beautiful, terrified, oh let's_)   
(_lick her throat_)   
answered her. She felt something move at her throat, her hand flew up and it was wet and warm and why did it feel like blood? The whispers continued and she felt her mind desperately trying to faint, and she fought but it didn't work and she found herself  
  
lying curled in a ball on her bed in B-Garden, sunlight splashing over her cheerfully.   
She rolled over and sat up, rubbing her left eye curiously. What a strange dream. She'dbeen wearing an eyepatch, and could still feel the dream residue of terror andan empty socket. Funny the morbid dreams she had sometimes. She swung slim legsover the side of the bed and contemplated breakfast.   
Coffee, black, and a bagel. Her stomach churned, she was starving to death.   
Where was he? He was late. Raijin had never been late to breakfast, _ever._ Not in all the years she had known him; even as a little kid in a shitty run-down wooden orphanage in Galbadia, Raijin always ran to breakfast.   
She pulled on her boots   
(_face my_)   
irritably and rubbed at her eye again. She felt weird; hadn't she had enough sleep? She eyed the other bed in her room digustedly. Ditzy roommate had already left for the day. Probably sucking up to an Instructor- next year they would both be of an age to begin SeeD candidate training, and her roommate was intent on using every advantage. Well, Fujin would kowtow to no one. Who cared about being a SeeD, anyway? It was all a big joke. Garden was a money-making machine and everyone knew it. No honor here. Or anywhere, as far as she knew.   
Finally there came a loud knocking at her door, and she answered it glowering.   
"Where the hell have you been? I'm about to starve to death, Raijin."   
"Sorry Fuu-sama," he said cheerfully, and then she saw the purpling skin around one eye. "Got into it with that Seifer guy again."   
She rolled her eyes. "He's an idiot. Everyone knows it. Can't you just ignore him?"   
Raijin shrugged. "He's not so bad, Fuu."   
She glared at him. "Yes he is. He's an egotistical maniac who doesn't care about anything but himself. And he's bigger than you. Stay away."   
"Aw, Fuu, it's not that simple, ya know?" He gestured, and they began the stroll down to the cafeteria.   
"Yes, it   
(_my wrath for_)   
is. He's in SeeD training, he's got a weapon. He must be nearly six feet tall, Raijin! At fourteen!"   
Raijin made a face. "So? I grew two inches last year. Besides, I invited him to breakfast with us."   
She stopped and turned on him, shocked. "Raijin, you didn't! The guy is a _jerk_."   
"Come on, Fuu," he said, grinning. "You've never talked to him. You'll like him, I know it."   
"No, I won't," she grumped, reluctantly allowing Raijin to lead her down the wide corridor. Her head felt funny again. Everything started to shimmer and she watched Raijin's lips move as he spoke. But she couldn't   
(_wrath_)   
understand him.   
"Raijin," she said, and could not hear herself speak. Suddenly she was terrified. "Raijin, something's wrong. Raijin! I think I'm going to  
  
_pass out_. Why did her face hurt so much? Oh yes, the shuriken. Buried in her face now, blood running down her cheek, the left side of her face a fiery mess of pain. She clenched her teeth and felt her Instructor's horrified touch on her shoulder. Lesson, indeed. The bastard had misjudged and sent his shuriken right into her face. Wonder she wasn't dead.   
On her hands and knees now, she wished again that she would pass out. The pain was horrific, and she knew she'd lost her eye. It had been punctured; she could feel blood and other things running wetly down her face.   
The Instructor's voice rose in pitch and she wanted to rise up out of her kneel and punch him right in the balls. Better yet, slice him. He deserved it.   
She growled and heard herself telling him to leave her alone.   
"Your eye, your eye," she heard him flutter, and she growled again. Before she could do anything, a new voice cut across her hearing, sharp with anger.   
"She said, _leave her alone. _Don't make me tell you again. I'd have to kill you _twice._" Seifer.   
"You hurt her," and she had never heard that tight note in Raijin's voice before. She heard the hum of his staff beginning to twirl and whispered, "No, don't, Raijin. I'll be fine." The whirring stopped but she heard the sound of a huge fist cracking into someone's face. Broken jawbone, or she'd pry out her _other_ eye.   
Hands then, picking her up. Arms under her legs, slinging her up. She was rattled as he broke into a sprint for the infirmary, but she smiled, imagining his new coat belling out behind him.   
"What's the joke, Fuu? Or are you just happy to finally be in my arms?" He teased, but she could hear worry in his voice. Not fear, but worry, and she felt herself finally accepting him, after two years of not really trusting him she could finally call him  
  
"Asshole," she spat, glaring.   
Raijin's eyes widened, and she heard a snort off to the side as Seifer began to snicker.   
She wheeled on him next.   
"Prick."   
He raised his hands as if to say, _What? I'm innocent!_ and she sneered at him. He grinned back at her.   
"C'mon Fuu, I won fair and square, ya know? Chimera."   
She turned to glare at Raijin   
(_for seeking thy sealed power_)   
and rubbed her head as she flung the card at him. She had a headache, a bad one, it felt like there was a battle raging inside  
  
the hotel. Raijin panted at her side, tired now. He'd fall any minute, she knew. She shouldn't have glanced at him, for when she turned her attention to the enemy, all she saw was Dincht's face, oddly apologetic, before she tasted the metal and leather of his fist.   
She flew back, landing with a painful thump on the floor, and spat blood.   
The world spun, and   
  
she woke up shouting, "The past!"   
She sat bolt upright in bed, panting. Her husband stirred beside her.   
"Christ, Fuu, trying to wake the dead?"   
Seifer pulled her close and she struggled.   
His eyes snapped open, and he looked at her sharply. "What's wrong? You mad at me?"   
"No," she said, wondering what the hell was wrong with her. For a second she'd forgotten that she'd ever married him. "Sorry, had a weird dream."  
"Good to know you're not insane. Come here," he purred, and she allowed him to pull her close. As he bent his head to kiss her the world went gray and  
  
she woke up murmuring, "The future," without understanding why. The dream was already fading, and   
(_face my wrath_)   
she didn't bother to try and remember it as she rolled over and wrapped her arms around the huge lump that was her husband.   
"Raijin," she whispered, "wake  
  
_UP!_   
(_it's a frayed rope, solid at one end, a million threads the other, all possible futures and this is why Time Compression kills_)   
She was falling, falling, trapped in a kaleidoscope of futures   
(_Raijin_)   
(_Seifer_)   
(_Raijin_)   
(_Seifer_)   
(_face my wrath for seeking thy sealed power_)   
(_Seifer_)   
(_Raijin_)   
(_sealed power_)   
(_Seifer_)   
(_Squall_)   
and it was the last stroke, waking up next to a sleeping Squall Leonhart; she flailed for balance and could not find it, she screamed in the darkness and flung out a hand as if to ward off 


	2. he into light.

  
evil, but drew it back sheepishly when he realized that nothing was there. Not that there was anyone around to see him acting the fool. He really had thought he'd heard something, though. A cry.   
He wanted to squint, but even if he closed his eyes fully all he saw was white. He knew that light filtered through eyelids was usually red; it made him wonder if he had a body at all.   
So was he dead?   
Somehow he didn't think so. He didn't claim to know what happened after people died but he had the feeling this wasn't it. Anyway, he was already pretty sure that this was Time Compression, not death. Fujin was convinced that they were one and the same, but he didn't see how that could be- he'd been here for what felt like a considerable amount of time, standing in white, and nothing bad had happened to him at all.   
It was a little weird, sure, what with the light and all. And the occasional whispered comment in his ear. He could never find a speaker, though, and he'd stopped trying after a while. Whispers weren't dangerous.   
Neither were the other odd sounds. The   
(_determined_)   
footsteps, the occasional far off crash or boom. Once, he had heard a bell tolling, a terrible sound that evoked images of monsters lolling in purple smoke, but still, nothing to be afraid of.   
This was actually kind of boring. Was he supposed to do something? Or would he be stuck here forever with no one to talk to and nothing to do?   
It felt like waiting. He was waiting. Or something else was. For what? He'd already done all he knew to do; he'd chased Fujin all the way down to the lowest level of the Lunatic Pandora, falling behind as he cast Double on himself, moving up beside her on the final stretch. Funny how he didn't know what she was thinking, but knew with certainty what she would do. But he'd never gotten a chance to use those Float spells- he'd found himself _here_, surrounded by white.   
_In the eye of the storm._ The words were so audible, so clear, he didn't know if it was his own thought or another whisper.   
It seemed to fit though.   
The strangest sensation passed over him, that of rapid movement, yet he could feel no wind and see no landmarks to mark the passage of space.   
Disoriented, he wrapped his arms around his torso  
  
and squinted into the rain.   
"Fuu," he called out again, "you out there?"   
What was she doing, anyway? It was freezing out. Summer, but today's rain was chilly. Maybe he should go out there and find her. It looked pretty cold and wet though, and he didn't have a coat.   
He shifted his weight from one foot to the other uncertainly. It wasn't like she liked him anyway. She never said a word, not to him or anyone else. He only knew her name because the lady called her Fujin. He liked to call her Fuu. It got a reaction out of her, at least. An annoyed look, actually, but that was better than the usual blank stare.   
Still, _he_ liked _her. _He'd always wanted a sister, and although he didn't understand where his parents had gone, he knew there was no possbility of that now.   
He sighed   
(_i'm so tired, quisty_)   
and stepped out into the rain. He trudged his way past the sandbox and toward the tree line, splashing halfheartedly in puddles.   
She was sitting on the ground, heedless of the leaves dripping water onto her silver head. She looked like one of those water nymphs he'd seen in a picture book- all long wet hair and strange eyes.   
He plunked down next to her and ignored the water seeping into his pants.   
"Hey, Fuu," he said. And of course she didn't respond, but that was okay. She was listening.   
"It's cold out," he offered. No response.   
"Kinda wet, ya know?" Nada.   
"Didja see those worms by the sandbox?" She looked over at him, faintly alarmed.   
"Yep," he enthused, "a whole bunch of 'em, just wiggling around over there."   
She stood up abruptly, and he remembered too late that girls didn't like worms and stuff like that. Worms were icky, or   
(_shh, both of you lie down. i'll stand watch_)   
something. He stood up too, and watched with surprise as she walked over to the sandbox and peered at the ground.   
He followed, and they stood together in the rain and watched the earthworms.   
"I guess they like the water," he said. "But when it dries up they die. And then they stick to the pavement."   
The girl beside him stared at the ground for a few moments.   
"That sucks," she said fiercely in her tiny child's voice, and turned to stalk back to the orphanage.   
He goggled at her retreating back, and when he remembered to shut his mouth a grin grew there in its place. He hurried after her, almost bursting with   
  
excitement as he raced down the hallway to her room. He skidded to a stop in front of her door and knocked hastily.   
She opened it suspiciously, and then realized it was him.   
"Fujin, are you unpacked yet? C'mon, you gotta see this!"   
She slipped out of the door to join him, carefully pocketing the key card.   
He grabbed her wrist and dragged her down the hallway a bit before she pulled out of his grasp. "Okay, okay. I can walk by myself, you know."   
He slowed down then and waited for her. "This is just so cool."   
They walked at a more sedate pace down to the Quad, and he could tell that she didn't really give a rat's ass about the deck. She'd only come because he'd asked her to.   
"Look, they have trees here. It's so crazy, I didn't know you could do that inside a building," he chattered blithely, knowing that she was upset and that his words soothed her.   
"It's really nice, Raijin," she said, and looked at the ground.   
He gazed at her for a moment. "This is it, Fuu. No more moving around. No more being handed off to family after family."   
She said nothing, only tucked her hands neatly inside her elbows.   
"C'mon, let's go down to   
(_does he ever sleep?_)   
the cafeteria," he said. "I'm starving."   
She smiled a little. "You're always starving."   
"Can't help it. I'm a growing boy, ya know?"   
They turned and made their way out of the Quad. "I wonder if they have ice cream," she said, suddenly all child again.   
"I bet they do. Can't have a school without ice cream," he asserted, though he didn't know if it was true.   
They walked side by side, and his head started to  
  
swim- the other boy had punched him pretty hard. He sat up from his sprawl, dizzy, and touched his face.   
"Maybe you'll think twice next time before opening your mouth."   
He peered up at the young man standing so nonchalantly before him, and the image that had made him laugh in the first place passed before his eyes again- Seifer Almasy, normally a remarkably graceful young man, tripping over his own feet as he attempted the three small steps before the Directory. The surprised look on his arrogant face as he tumbled head over heels had been irresistible- Raijin had not been able to hold in that guffaw.   
He stood up slowly and wiped at his face again, grinning at the memory. It had been worth it.   
Seifer didn't seem to like Raijin's smile much though- his mouth faded into a thin hard line.   
"Didn't you hear me? No laughing. Wipe that stupid grin off your face or I'll do it for you."   
Raijin relaxed his shoulders, and merely looked at the other boy. Seifer had caught him off guard with that punch- but he wouldn't find another opening so easily.   
"Go ahead and try," he said, and immediately Seifer was moving toward him again. But Raijin was ready, sideslipping easily. Like magic, his hand found its way to Seifer's arm, and it was child's play to toss   
(_no, i really don't think he does_)   
him to the floor. He crouched before the other boy could react and returned the original blow- the one that was already turning the skin around his eye dark. Then he sat down next to him and waited for the other to stop spluttering.   
Cheerfully, he said, "There, we're even, ya know?"   
And Seifer laughed.   
Raijin beamed back, obscurely pleased. Seifer was a pain sometimes, but Raijin admired him. He was talented, highly so, and something about his forceful personality appealed to Raijin immensely. This one wasn't afraid to be himself.   
"Yeah, I guess we're even. It's not nice to laugh at people though."   
Raijin shrugged. "_You_ would have laughed. And besides, it's not nice to punch people, either. Ya know?"   
Seifer didn't reply, just picked himself up off the ground. Raijin stood too, and watched as Seifer touched his face, frowning.   
"We were just about to get breakfast," Raijin said tentatively.   
"We?" Seifer looked around.   
"Me and Fuu," Raijin explained. "Wanna meet us there?"   
"Sure," Seifer said slowly, the amused smile on his face masking some other expression.   
"Cool! See ya in a few," and he made his way to Fujin's room, humming  
  
along with the radio tunelessly. Seifer would have yelled at him to knock it off, but the volume was turned on all the way; Raijin was pretty sure the blaring music covered the small sound he was making.   
He looked out the window at the passing scenery- Seifer drove _fast_- and smiled. Fuu was in a good mood, they were going shopping in Deling City today. Seifer was to get some work done on Hyperion for the upcoming exam, and Raijin needed new shoes.   
He hummed a little louder, daringly, and thought that they were moving  
  
_faster now, it's going faster. _He paused, wondering where the thought had come from, and looked at her face. Her eye was bloodshot. Had she been crying, or simply not sleeping? He worried about her all the time now. Seifer was gone, joined with the Sorceress, and it was hard on her. On both of them. Two weren't enough, not any more.   
"We're going to him, aren't we," he said, not asking.   
She nodded just once, and they were  
  
running out of Hotel Balamb with their tails tucked between their legs. Raijin glanced at her. Her face was twisted with some emotion. Rage, he thought.   
Funny how he thought it was not directed at Leonhart, but at Seifer. He really didn't know   
(_sleep now, rinoa_)   
how he felt - it was too complicated. He was willing to let Fujin dictate what they did. He looked up  
  
at the man on the dais. Seifer held Hyperion vertically in a strange sort of salute.   
"Raijin, Fujin. It's been fun."   
And he saw her turn away, face  
  
alight somehow, at peace. She held his hands and for a moment he was surprised. Why should he be surprised that she held his hands? They were at the altar, that's what you did there. Held hands, slid rings onto fingers,  
  
kissed, and he brushed away a tear. Weddings always made him cry, and the fierce joy on Fujin's face elated him. His two best friends, joined as one. What could be more  
  
_unimportant_, he thought, and pushed his way back into the light._ The future is far off, it cannot touch you unless you let it._ What mattered was _now._   
Where were they? Were they in danger, falling into their futures as he knew he would not? He felt fear then; they both looked forward, and he knew somehow that the future was dangerous. Had that cry been Fujin?   
He listened carefully, and thought he heard something. A far off scream. Fujin.   
He struggled then, trying to reach her. She was in pain, being ripped apart, he had to help her. The light tilted crazily without moving at all, and he reached out his hand.   
"Fujin," he yelled. "Fujin!"   
The light began to melt into darkness. He heard her scream again, closer now.   
He waded through shifting black and white, concentrating.   
"I'm here Fuu, I'm here," he murmured, and suddenly he heard a low groan. He beat at the barrier that he could feel but not see, then stilled. That wasn't the way.   
He extended his hand, slowly, trying not to panic at her agonized groan echoing in his head. _Gently,_ he thought. _Gently_, and he was through, his hand touching hers, and he drew her to him quickly, folding her ethereal form in his arms.   
"Don't think about it, Fuu, you'll lose yourself."   
She whimpered, the first time he had heard such a sound from her, and he stroked her hair softly. He had to calm her down- they had to find Seifer. It would take both of them. He swallowed, thinking of what Seifer might be going through.  
Fujin slowly began to fall out of her shuddering, and Raijin's attention was caught by something above him. His head craned back and he looked up, searching for 


	3. Join hands to search the sun.

  
the movement above him that had caught his attention. But there was nothing to see, only the swirling of mist around him.   
Another wave of her mad joy   
(_they're coming, time to die_)   
swept though him, and he couldn't have stopped the cry that escaped him if he'd wanted to.   
He was in the dream now, her promises fulfilled. Revenge and glory. Her massive presence in his mind darkly ecstatic now, not brooding.   
He could feel her lips curling up to smile, and felt his own follow suit. He marveled- he didn't know where he began and she ended. He could almost feel the throne digging into the back of her thighs, her fingernail tapping the armrest idly, her heart beating, her lungs taking in air.   
He fell to his knees in nothingness, touching his face to see exactly whose features he would find. No, the scar, it was there. His fingers were wet though.   
Was it raining?   
She laughed in his mind, and he found himself echoing it.   
"Seifer."   
Her words poured from his mouth like vomit.   
"You were such a little boy, Seifer. Are you a man now?"   
_I'm a knight now._   
Her chuckle fell out of his mouth, contemptuous, and he felt a stretching in his mind.   
_No!_   
He was still laughing, unable to stop despite the panic in his mind. He felt her pulling away, ripping herself from his mind, carelessly taking parts of him with her as she discarded him like trash and turned her attention to other things.   
The chuckle evolved into a scream. He fell back  
  
onto the sand, head buzzing strangely. He looked down at his hand in surprise; it was bleeding. He dropped the piece of wood, and saw that there were several large ugly splinters driven into the flesh.   
He looked up at the other boy and snarled.   
Squall looked back, his own branch wavering uncertainly in one hand.   
"Are you okay, Seifer? I didn't mean to hit your hand."   
He stood up gingerly, careful of his hand, and threw himself on the other boy in response. They tumbled   
(_kurse all_)   
to the sand, and he felt Squall pushing with his hands, trying to get him away.   
He kicked, and heard the spray of sand as someone else descended the beach.   
"Oh! Stop it!" Selphie.   
He ignored her and continued trying to hit Squall. The other boy wasn't retaliating, only blocking blows and trying to get away. It just made him angrier.   
"C'mon, can't you fight?"   
"Seifer!" And he stopped, bleeding hand on Squall's face suddenly starting to _hurt_.   
Matron was there, scooping him up easily with a hand under his arm and setting him on his feet. Beyond her, he saw Selphie and Ellone standing hand in hand. Selphie was crying; she must have gone and fetched Matron. What a tattletale.   
"Fighting," Matron scolded, and he saw that Squall's nose was bleeding.   
"Sorry, Matron," said Squall, "We were playing knights and I hurt his hand." Seifer wanted to kick him all over again. Squall was always just aching to take the blame.   
"Are you hurt, Seifer?"   
He extended his hand reluctantly, angry tears threatening to spill down his cheeks. She took it, and he watched her frown as she murmured, "Cure."   
The splinters jumped out of his hand as flesh knitted together, and he snatched his hand back quickly.   
"Anything else?"   
He shook his head roughly, and raised a hand to his temple. His ears were ringing, a discordant whine that seemed to get louder and  
  
louder as he hefted his brand new gunblade. He shook his head, annoyed. Was this fear? He didn't know, he'd never actually been afraid before. It was entirely possible that fear manifested itself as an annoying buzz between his ears.   
But he wasn't afraid of this Grat, even though it was his first time in the Training Center.   
The buzzing faded, so he stopped wondering about it. He waited for his Instructor's signal.   
"Okay, go ahead. Let's see what you can do. And I'm right here if you need me."   
_Yeah right_, he thought, and attacked.   
The Grat squealed as Hyperion bit into one of its appendages. It shuddered as he retreated to a safe distance, then waved its pods in outrage.   
He rocked on the balls of his feet, pointing Hyperion at the monster   
(_swarming like lokusts across generations_)   
as he waited for a good opening. But before he saw one, it slid up to him and thumped him twice in the head faster than he could dodge.   
Enraged, he raced up to it and sliced it across the midsection before it could strike again.   
It extended its appendages to their fullest length, shaking. And then it wilted. He watched, intrigued as one pod at a time fell limply to the ground.   
"Very good!" he heard, and wanted to snort. His first battle hadn't been a battle at all- more like a massacre. Still, what else would one expect from Seifer Almasy? He smiled, pleased, and turned to his Instructor, waiting  
  
for _hours_. When can we see her?" He tapped his foot pointedly and scowled at Dr. Kadowaki.   
She smiled coolly and he wanted to kill her then and there.   
"She's still sleeping. Why don't you check back in a few hours?"   
He started to speak but Raijin interrupted him. "Please, Dr. K, can't we just go and sit there with her? We're really worried, ya know?"   
He expected the doctor to shake her head again, but she didn't.   
"Well, I suppose it would be all right. But you have to be quiet! She needs rest." Seifer felt his mouth drop open- the doctor had succumbed to Raijin's...charm?   
Raijin bounced up out of his chair. He looked like he wanted to hug her. "Thanks! We'll be extra quiet!"   
Seifer shook his head, disgusted, but followed Raijin into the room where Fujin lay.   
She was asleep, her face almost transparent, and he sank into a chair as Raijin knelt by the bed and took her hand.   
Dr. Kadowaki had said that she hadn't been able to save her eye. He knew that she'd have to wear an eye patch now, and wondered how she would deal with the inevitable stares. She didn't like attention at the best of times.   
He pulled Hyperion out and settled her across his lap for inspection. Well, there were ways   
(_griever!_ _make them bleed!_)   
to keep people from staring.   
He heard the rumble of Raijin's whisper, and shook his head. Raijin couldn't be quiet even if he tried. He'd wake her up for sure.   
But he heard her reply, higher pitched, and stood up to pad over to the bed and sit by her feet.   
"How you doin', Fuu?"   
She looked at him with her red-rimmed good eye, and for once her glance was not filled with dislike.   
She yawned, and slipped her hand out of Raijin's to cover her mouth.   
"Sleepy. You carried me?"   
He grinned at her. "What are  
  
friends for, ya know?" Raijin had somehow tucked his huge frame into one of the tiny infirmary chairs.   
Seifer closed his eyes and tapped gloved fingers on his leg. He was _not _in a good mood.   
"Rage," he heard, and then the sound of her kicking him in the shin, and then Raijin's yelp. On any other day it would have made him smile, but not today. His blood seemed to hum in his veins, furious. Leonhart had marked him and he hated it. Never mind that the other wore _his_ mark. That Leonhart had been able to touch him at all made him want to destroy something.   
Tap tap. He'd get him.   
Tap  
  
tap. His gunblade on his shoulder, staring at his boots. Boring here, they'd cleared everything out of the square. Nothing left to do. Tap tap.   
Even that wuss Zell hadn't had a problem   
(_i shall junction myself unto_)   
with the Galbadian soldiers. He looked up at the sky, and sighed,  
  
disgusted. They'd passed Leonhart and failed him. Again. Fujin said it best when she said, "Rage."   
Nonetheless, people already said bad enough things about him. He didn't need 'sore loser' floating around, no matter how he felt about the situation. He stood there in the hallway, furious, and clapped for his   
  
sorceress, they screamed her name into the night, sent off fireworks in honor of her glory. Her glory and his.   
He smiled benevolently at the screaming crowd. This was so right it was almost  
  
frightening, the way he seemed to doze off on his feet lately. Did he sleepwalk? He stalked the halls of Galbadia Garden restlessly. It was the deepest part of the night, no one was awake. Except for her, but he wasn't about to go anywhere near her   
(_i am ultimecia_)   
while-   
"No!" he shouted. He stopped, breath harsh in his throat. What the _hell_ had that been?   
Was he going crazy? Talking to himself now, not good. He shook his head, unsettled, and continued  
  
to grip her shoulder, ignoring her struggles to break free mercilessly.   
"I know you're not like that!" Rinoa twisted under his grip, but he held her fast.   
"Can't go back   
(_time shall compress_)   
now! Can't go anywhere!" How he wished there was a way he  
  
could just make it stop. He clutched his head.   
The mist swirled madly.   
He feared what it might show him next. The past had met   
(_all existence denied_)   
with the present, and he knew it would rush into the future, carrying  
  
Fujin in his arms, her white dress   
(_reflect on your childhood_)   
trailing  
  
his hand down her cheek, glorious golden hair cascading  
  
down the rocks, the water burbled and sang cheerfully. He sat back and glanced at his posse, at   
  
peace at last. They carried his coffin in the rain, careful not to slip in the mud but it wasn't so hard because it was  
  
empty, his soul was empty, he   
(_your words_)   
didn't   
(_your sensation_)   
exist   
(_your emotions_)   
at all.  
  
A single breath.   
His exhale the only sound in the universe. _Just need to catch my breath, just a few seconds, please. Please._   
He took another breath, desperately pushing the past and the future away from him. _Please._   
But the dam broke   
(_time_)   
(_seifer, c'mon_)   
(_it will not wait_)   
(_rage_)   
(_no matter how hard you hold on_)   
(_I love you, seifer. even though you're a meanie!_)   
(_it escapes you_)   
(_what are friends for, ya know?_)   
(_and_)   
and he was helpless.   
He screamed.   
His mind was splintering, he could not stop it. Pieces of him whirled away, snatched by the mist and carried off gleefully.   
He felt something latch onto his arm. Would the mist take his body, too? He struggled.   
Something grabbed his other arm. And then he was being held tightly, two bodies protecting him against time. Raijin and Fujin.   
His body arched and he stuttered in his scream.   
They held him fiercely, not letting him shake them off, and finally it ended and he slumped in their arms.   
"Raijin. Fujin." His voice was hoarse. He didn't even recognize it.   
And the world seemed to buck. The mist melted away, and they were falling through space, falling out of Time Compression.   
Raijin whispered into his back, "They beat her."   
Fujin giggled into his chest, her laugh weary and bordering on hysteria.   
He closed his eyes, exhausted, and they fell.   



End file.
